Seafood Paella

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T.W.O. spent last summer traveling around Spain and had some amazing paella.  Each city was different – from Madrid to San Sebastian to Barcelona and Sevilla – there was a spin on each dish.  Today we are featuring some of our favorite ingredients in a seafood paella.  It’s an great dish full of flavor, protein and culture – – when in España!


Seafood Paella

Ingredients:
– 1 tomato, diced
– ½ cup white wine
– ½ red onion, chopped
– 1 sweet onion, chopped
– 1 pound fresh rock fish
– 2 lbs fresh seafood miz (mussels, calamari, shrimp)
– ¼ cup olive oil
– 2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
– 2 cup Arborio rice or bomba paella rice
– 2 teaspoon Spanish saffron threads
– 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
– 1 cup frozen peas
– 1 can artichoke hearts
– ½ cup lemon juice
– 2 cloves garlic
– 1 teaspoon sea salt
– ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
– 1 teaspoon Spanish pimento smoked paprika

Directions:
1. Heat the wine and ½ red onion and ½ sweet onion in a saucepan over high heat until it begins to bubble. Add the mussels and cover and cook for five minutes.
2 Remove from the heat; throw away any unopened mussels, and drain, reserving the liquid to use later in the recipe.
3. Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed pan (great if you have a paella pan.) Add the extra onion and garlic. Cook for five minutes, or until onions have softened.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, artichokes, smoky paprika & cayenne pepper. Season with sea salt and pepper. Mix well.
5. Stir in the reserved liquid from the mussels, then add the rice and stir again. In a separate bowl, blend the saffron with the stock and stir into the rice mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes without stirring.
6. Put the peas, seafood mixture and rock fish on top of the rice. Push them into the rice, cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, turning over halfway through, until the rice is cooked. Add the mussels & lemon juice for the last 5 minutes to heat through. If the rice is not cooked, add extra stock and cook for a few more minutes.
7. Allow to rest for 5 minutes prior to serving.


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¡Buen provecho!

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Hats Off to Traveling

If you haven’t already noticed, T.W.O. enjoys traveling.  And like most people, we usually get a souvenir  (well actually, we should say souvenirs) when we travel! One of those souvenirs has to be a hat. Yes – a hat.  It’s an item that we will wear the rest of our trip and get to bring it back home to the States.  Beach hat, winter hat, ball cap – doesn’t matter! Here are some of our favorite hats we got a long the way.

Costa Rica:

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The Caribbean:

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Lake McClure:

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Palm Springs/ Stagecoach:

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Tahoe:

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Angel Games:

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Italy:

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italy,germany 280Spain:

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Happy Travels!!!

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Howdy Houston!

Howdy Houston! This past weekend, a T.W.O. boogied on down to Houston, Texas for the Food & Nutrition Conference (FNCE). I spent most of the time in Downtown Houston, which is filled with some good restaurants, stadiums and parks. Get your cowboy boots on and get ready to “T.W.O.-step” it with me in Houston!

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Sambuca

A T.W.O. had the pleasure of eating dinner at the famous Sambuca! They have locations in Dallas, Houston, Nashville and Plano. This restaurant is known for its great food, music and dancing. I experienced some great seafood dishes and live classic rock music by FM Live Band. T.W.O. highly recommends this restaurant!

Pappas Bar-B-Q

If you visit Houston, you must go to Pappas Bar-B-Q. All the locals recommended it, so I went! And boy, were our tummies full when I walked out! A T.W.O. would highly suggest ordering the brisket and turkey breast! So moist and tender!

Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse

Got meat? Vic & Anthony’s sure does! A T.W.O. ate a delicious dinner at this recommended steakhouse downtown Houston. The atmosphere reminded us of a Fleming’s or a Morton’s with dim lights and leather chairs. A T.W.O. ordered a roasted beet goat cheese salad, crab cake, and filet and would suggest that all 3 be ordered- especially the crab cake!

Food & Nutrition Conference and Expo

T.W.O. had the opportunity to attend the FNCE conference in Houston. This conference is catered to food and nutrition professionals and has the latest nutrition science information and foodservice trends. There are over 8,000 attendees and more than 350 exhibitors at this conference. A T.W.O. had a fabulous time exploring the different booths (especially Justin’s and Go Live!) as well as promoting celiac diagnostic testing at the Prometheus Laboratories booth.

Happy Travels!

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Sevilla

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Sevilla is the capital and largest city of Andalusia, which is located in the southern part of Spain. The locals would describe it as a city of “passion.” With narrow, winding streets, this romantic city has heritage of art and architecture. In T.W.O.’s eyes, the traditional Spanish culture that was envisioned prior to the trip was depicted in Sevilla. During the summer months, the town is less populated because of the hot weather. 99.9% of the stores close at 2PM for the traditional siesta so they could rest and get out of the heat. The most popular time to visit this town is in March/ April when the weather is more manageable. T.W.O. enjoyed their time in Sevilla-we just wish it was a tad bit cooler!

Getting There

T.W.O. hopped on a jet plane in Barcelona and made their way to Sevilla. The flight was a little less than 2 hours…a hop, skip and a jump!

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Accommodations

T.W.O. stayed at the Hotel Casa de Santa Cruz located in the Santa Cruz district. This was the “walking district” of the city. The hotel encompassed a traditional Spanish theme….textiles galore! The rooms were clean and the hotel staff was very helpful. There was a bottle of cava waiting for T.W.O.’s arrival in the room…Cheers! Highly recommended hotel!

Catedral de Santa María de la Sede (Sevilla Cathedral)

Catedral de Santa María is the largest Gothic cathedral and the 3rd largest church in the world. It was located near Hotel Casa de Santa Cruz, so T.W.O. was able to walk by this iconic church a couple times a day.

Plaza de España

Plaza de España is located in Parque de María Luisa and was built as an example of the Renaissance Revival style in Spanish architecture. The semi-circle building is filled with tiled fountains, brick, exploration stories and a river. While T.W.O. was exploring the historical plaza, a commercial was being filmed. They asked us to be in it, but we had to decline…

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Casa de La Guitarra

Casa de La Guitarra is located in the Santa Cruz district and is a small, quant place to watch a flamenco show. It was a good thing that T.W.O.’s hotel made reservations for us because we received VIP seats….front row. Doesn’t get any better than that! The experience was amazing watching the guitarist play, while a gentleman sang and clapped and stomped his feet to create a beat. The flamenco dancer was passionate and eloquent. This is a must do while in Sevilla!

Gusto Ristobar

Located near the Cathedral, T.W.O. stumbled upon this ristobar while looking for a snack. The pizza slices in the window caught our eye! It wasn’t your traditional American slice though; it was a fluffy bready-square topped with cheese and fresh vegetables. Yum! T.W.O. made friends with the waiters who treated us like royalty. Who wouldn’t like that? The fresh salads and the ice cream bars kept calling T.W.O.’s name, so we went back a couple times! Definitely stop by and enjoy the atmosphere of Gusto!

Bar La Terraza (@ EME Hotel)

Little did T.W.O. know, but this hotel had one of the best rooftop views in town. After dinner one night, T.W.O. decided to check out this boutique hotel since there was a lot of activity outside of it and we heard music. After riding the elevator up to the roof, T.W.O. was pleasantly surprised to see that this was the place to be since it had the best views of the Cathedral. The atmosphere was lively and the music was even better. Cheers!

Night Strolls

T.W.O. enjoyed their night strolls in Sevilla. The weather was perfect, people were out and the gelato was plentiful!

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Biarritz

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France for the day?  Why not!?! T.W.O. took a day trip from San Sebastian to Biarritz to check out Europe’s Surf Capital.  This luxurious French beachtown is about forty-five minutes from the border of Spain and is located on the Bay of Biscay.  Biarritz is filled with tourists and surfers of all ages.  Here are some of the highlights of T.W.O.’s quick visit!

Transportation

T.W.O. took the Alsa bus from San Sebastian to Biarritz.  It was a great way to see all the small towns and experience “crossing the border” from Spain to France.  As soon as we crossed the border into France, the bus stopped and the French police came on board to check our passports. Good thing T.W.O. brought those with us!!!  En route, we saw the French coastline, two different campsites filled with retro looking trailers, beaches, bakeries, road bikers and a bountiful of hydrangea plants.

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City of Biarritz

Biarritz is a great place to shop, eat and go to the beach.  T.W.O. strolled around the city, stopping in stores along the way and bought linen snow-leopard scarves to keep warm.  It was overcast in the morning and the summer attire T.W.O. was wearing was not doing it for them.  FRENCH SOUVONIEUR…CHECK!  T.W.O. noticed that a lot of people didn’t speak English and T.W.O. doesn’t speak French, so there was some communication issues.  Au revoir, not hasta luego! Just kidding….T.W.O. got the feeling that people didn’t want to give them the time of day sinceT.W.O. was not speaking French.  Other than that, T.W.O.‘s France experience was great!

Farmers Market

T.W.O. stumbled upon a framers market in the center of town.   The market was divided into two sections: one section with fresh produce stores and bakeries and the other section with fish and meat stores.  The fish and meat side was smelly, so T.W.O. spent less time there! Farmers markets in different countries are so amazing.  The produce, baked goods and deli selection are very different from what you would find in the US. The cheese display in Biarritz was plentiful and it was hard to walk away from the sample section.  T.W.O. probably ate about ½ pound of cheese in 20 minutes.  Any opportunity T.W.O. gets to go to a farmers market, even if it is just to look around, T.W.O. will go out of their way to make the trek.

Lunch

Fresh Salads and a view! After about 2 hours, T.W.O. finally found a restaurant that had an English menu and a great view.  (Good things take time, right?)

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Beach

The beach in Biarritz was filled with travelers from all over the world.  T.W.O.  met some new friends from Scotland.  They travel to Biarritz every year for a long weekend to enjoy the serenity and small beach town atmosphere.  The water was on the colder side, but refreshing to cool T.W.O.  down from the hot sun.  Yes – the clouds burned off and T.W.O.  was able to get their tan on!

The Famous Farmers Market Tote

T.W.O. was in search for the perfect farmers market tote and the mission was accomplished in Biarritz.  Down the street from the farmers market, there was a cooking supply store (like a Sur La Table, Williams-Sonoma, etc.)  that had a ton of the market totes stacked up in all different sizes and colors.  Once calmed down from the excitement, T.W.O. happily purchased the tote that was dreamt about for months. (More on this tote in a future post.)

You can’t go to France without getting a baguette and pastry, so T.W.O. ended the day trip with these two things.  T.W.O.enjoyed their snacks in a small park, while waiting for the bus back to San Sebastian.

Au Revoir Biarritz!!!

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The Traveling T.W.O. Journal

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Travel journals have been around since the beginning of time. The pioneers kept journals while traveling to the West to document their hardships, sightings and experiences to the new unexplored land.  Many of these journals have been used to learn more about history and many were lost in the rough, leaving unanswered questions.  Today, T.W.O. has adapted the same concept with their travels around the world.

Before every big trip, T.W.O. buys a journal to document their memories and capture their favorite quotes and experiences. The journal selection process is important; you just can’t select a book with paper in it. Below are some requirements that are needed:

– Hard cover
– Memorable quote or picture on the front, depicting the trip
– Wire ring binding
– 70+ pages

The main idea of the travel journal is to write about each day’s activities so that you can remember everything years later. Hotel and restaurant names, shopping stores and city neighborhoods are all noted in the book.

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T.W.O. uses the travel journal to suggest places to friends and family traveling to the same destination.  The most important part of the book is the “scrapbook” section, which has restaurant business cards, post cards, wine bottle labels, maps and anything else that comes across the way during T.W.O.’s travels.  (There is even a smudge of chocolate from a croissant T.W.O. had in Paris in the travel journal!) Scotch tape is important to bring along so you can tape the items into the book that same day.

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At the end of the trip, T.W.O. recaps their favorite memories and quotes.  T.W.O. finds it important to document these experiences as soon as you can because as time goes own, details are forgotten.  And just like the pioneers, these journals will be passed to future generations.  From wagons, to cars, to trains to planes, we will see what the next century brings!

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Happy Travels!!!!T.W.O. signature

T.W.O. in Madrid

After a plane flight, metro ride, and adventure walking with our suitcases over cobblestone, T.W.O. made it to our first stop in Spain- MADRID!!  Ole! Madrid is an amazing city full of history, architecture, exquisite restaurants, friendly people and not to mention, ZARAs on every corner! T.W.O. was in heaven!

T.W.O. was in Madrid for 4 days at stayed at the Vincchi Soho hotel in the heart of the historical area of Madrid.  T.W.O. would definitely recommend Vincchi Soho- it is clean, modern, the staff is very friendly and it is in a great location of the city- walking distance to everything!

While in Madrid, T.W.O. explored everything- from plazas to palaces, ZARAs to bull fights, restaurants to mercados, and Rosés to papas fritas. T.W.O loved it all! Here are just some of the highlights of T.W.O.’s adventure in Madrid!

Plaza Mayor

Plaza Mayor was one of the biggest plazas in Madrid. T.W.O enjoyed stopping by this plaza one, two, even three times a day to see this beautiful site.

Mercado de San Miguel

Mercado de San Miguel is a must-see if you travel to Madrid. This mercado is a great spot to head for lunch if you don’t want to deal with a restaurant.  Inside the mercado, there are over 30 merchants selling their respective tapas specialties. T.W.O would highly recommend the burrata cheese crostini with pesto and the croquette with cheese and jalapeno.

Palacio Real de Madrid

Palacio Real de Madrid is another site to see in Madrid. Pay the 12 euros and enjoy the breathtaking art and architecture inside the palace. You won’t be disappointed.

Plaza de Santa Ana

Plaza de Santa Ana was T.W.O.’s favorite plaza in Madrid. They spent everyday in this plaza whether is was for breakfast, lunch, dinner or their siesta!

Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas

When in Madrid, go to a bull fight! T.W.O. enjoyed this amazing experience and would suggest everyone see one if they are in Madrid. The art of this sport is spectacular and the local people are so passionate about it. Bull fights typically take place on every Sunday during the summer months.

Lateral

Lateral was T.W.O.’s favorite restaurant in Madrid. It is located in Plaza de Santa Ana (how ironic!). T.W.O. would suggest the stuffed piquillo peppers, goat cheese with caramelized onions, and the patatas bravas.

Strolling around Madrid and Parque del Buen Retiro

T.W.O. enjoyed strolling around Madrid, especially when it involved shopping at Zara! During the stroll, T.W.O. walked through Parque del Buen Retiro. It was absolutely gorgeous and reminded T.W.O. of Central Park in New York City. This park is a nice place to take a picnic, go for a run, or just enjoy an evening walk!

T.W.O. truly enjoyed Madrid and would definitely go back- well actually; they did, for one day! In terms of the future, Madrid will be revisited. It is a great city for everyone- young adults, couples, families and elders!  T.W.O. me encantό Madrid! #gemelasenespana

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